New Mexico's role players push Lobos past Wolf Pack, 75-62

ALBUQERQUE, N.M. – Priority No. 1 on the Wolf Pack’s defensive check list prior to its game against New Mexico on Saturday night was stopping Kendall Williams, Tony Snell and Alex Kirk.

Mission accomplished.

The only problem was the Lobos had Hugh Greenwood, Chad Adams and Demetrius Walker in reserve. And they were plenty good enough to send Nevada to another Mountain West loss.

Despite playing one of its better games of the season, the Wolf Pack fell to the league-leading Lobos because it couldn’t get a stop late in the game. Led by its role players, New Mexico shot a season-high 56 percent from the field to down Nevada, 75-62, before 15,346 fans at The Pit.

“They hit some big shots,” Nevada guard Malik Story said. “We were playing good defense and they hit some key shots. Their role players stepped up and knocked them down. I thought we played well and hit our shots, but we couldn’t get a stop late and they made some big plays.”

Hugh Greenwood, shown dunking late in a win over Nevada, scored a team-high 15 for New Mexico. (Jake Schoellkopf/AP)

The Wolf Pack (11-10, 2-5 MWC) held New Mexico’s three leading scorers – Williams, Snell and Kirk – to 21 points, which was 16 below their season average. But Greenwood, Adams and Walker combined to score 37 points on 12-of-18 shooting, including 8-of-11 from 3-point range.

That trio combined to score 20 points more than their season averages as New Mexico’s depth eventually wore down Nevada. The Lobos’ reserves outscored the Wolf Pack’s by a 28-6 margin.

“Their guys off the bench played very well,” Wolf Pack coach David Carter said. “I didn’t count on them to really shoot the ball that well. If we could play it again, I thought we made the right plays but their guys just hit shots. You want to take the leading scorers out of the game if you can and their bench stepped up.”

Playing No. 20/22 New Mexico (19-3, 6-1), the Wolf Pack hung in the game until the final minutes. Nevada led by a point midway through the second half and was down just 60-56 with 5:46 remaining. But the Lobos exploded on a 15-6 run to end the game.

Nevada out-rebounded New Mexico, 33-29, allowed only two offensive boards, turned the ball over just 11 times and hit 10-of-26 3-pointers. But its defense was suspect after intermission.

New Mexico made 60.9 percent of its shots in the second half; Nevada converted 34.4 percent.

Carter said he feels as if his team is improving – after all, New Mexico is 117-8 when playing a home game when ranked – and that it’s close to getting a breakthrough win in the MWC.

“The guys fought hard,” Carter said. “I didn’t look at it as if they dominated us, although they played very well. They shot the ball very well, but our guys competed and we had a chance. We missed some good looks down the stretch. If you make those shots it could be a different story.”

Story, who turned 23 years old on Saturday, led Nevada with 20 points on 8-of-17 shooting. Deonte Burton finished with 13 points and seven assists on 4-of-13 shooting. Jordan Burris had 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Jerry Evans added seven points and nine boards.

In what was expected to be a physical game, Nevada got to the free-throw line just six times (18 below its average). New Mexico only had 14 free-throw attempts (14 below its average).

“That was surprising,” Story said of the Wolf Pack’s season-low six free-throw attempts. “I thought the game was real physical and the refs were letting some things go, but that’s something we have to adjust to. We had a lot of open looks and we didn’t capitalize on them.”

The loss to nationally ranked New Mexico was Nevada’s 11th straight against a ranked foe. The last time the Wolf Pack beat a ranked team was March 2007 when it knocked off No. 24 Creighton in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Nevada fell to 2-7 on the road, the MWC’s worst record away from home, but returns to Lawlor Events Center for games against Colorado State and Air Force next week.

“You have to fail to succeed and I think that’s what we’re doing,” Burton said. “We just have to bounce back.”

NEW MEXICO 75, NEVADA 62

KEY STAT: 60.9 – New Mexico shot 60.9 percent in the second half and 56 percent for the game.

KEY PLAY: With Nevada trailing 67-61 with 3 minutes left, Jerry Evans Jr. was called for a charge and then whistled for a block on the next play. New Mexico hit both free throws to take a 69-61 lead.

KEY TO THE GAME: The Wolf Pack couldn’t get a stop late in the game as New Mexico’s bench stepped up to beat Nevada. The Lobos’ reserves outscored the Wolf Pack’s bench, 32-6.

About this blog

Longtime RGJ Media reporter Dan Hinxman is the authority on Wolf Pack athletics, bringing you the day-to-day coverage of Nevada’s sports teams. Dan has covered almost everything the Northern Nevada sports scene has to offer and will use his knowledge to bring you authoritative and engaging Wolf Pack content. Follow him on Twitter at @DanHinxmanRGJ.